According to Ben Roethlisberger, respect at the heart of the Steelers/Ravens rivalry

Some of the most exciting games in the career of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger have been against the Baltimore Ravens. He acknowledges this and understands that when he finally decides to hang up his cleats for good, this will be the rivalry that conjures the fondest memories.

Ben Roethlisberger said today that when he retires, his matchups with the Ravens are going to be some of his fondest memories. Acknowledged two teams hate each other, but said it's based out of respect.

Big Ben is 11-9 versus the Ravens in the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs. While this might be the most heated rivalry in the NFL but in comparison to say the rivalry between the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals it is much different.

And that is all about the respect. When Baltimore and Pittsburgh play it is always intense and it is always physical. But you don’t see these two teams playing against each other with the malice that shows up with the Steelers take on the Bengals.

This time around both teams are in the thick of the playoff hunt and that raises the stakes. We saw that last season when the two teams squared off in the final game of the regular season when Antonio Brown clinched the division over the Ravens on the final play with the immaculate extension.